Somewhat Cliche
by SANSrivalry
Summary: Essay writing may be tough, but what she did not expect is that the words she wrote can change everything. By the end of the whole thing, Toph had a realization. Set Modern Times. Taang, Zutara and Sukka.
1. Chapter 1: The Irony of It All

**WOOPEE! ** ** I'm back with more Taang stories. I just can't get enough of it. It's been a while since I wrote one. I got the idea about this one just five seconds before I started writing chapter one. So anyway, I hope you guys like it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters written in this story.**

**Chapter 1: The Irony of It All**

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"Alright, class . . . Today's lesson is all about . . . "And, that's just about it. His teacher's voice faded in his mind like he knew it would. And as expected, that's all he heard from her today.

It's a real shame, though. History would've been Aang's favorite subject. But there are some factors to consider during the class. Factor number one: His teacher was too strict and serious, but thankfully, extremely oblivious. You see, Ms. Li has been working at the same school for the past twenty-five years. Most students and teachers themselves working this long would normally get tired of it. The stress has probably worn her out. Aang wondered what she looked and sounded like when she was still new in the faculty. Now she talks as if she hasn't slept for days: constantly droning. Aang couldn't help but yawn.

"Oh the irony, Twinks," Toph chuckled beside him. She sat in an awkward position every time they're in Li's class. Legs on top of the table, arms behind her head, her body fully relaxed as if she was lying down. It's like her desk and chair was an improvised bed. Ms. Li tried to ignore her, but Toph never failed at pissing her off.

Aang glanced up at his seatmate. "What?"

She smiled as her eyes grew heavy. She started to close them and pretended to dose off. "I'm surprised. No seriously, I am. I mean, usually you're the one who's never sleepy during Elephant Tusk's class. I for instance, would never forget a pillow."

'Elephant Tusk' has been Toph's nickname for Ms. Li ever since the woman brought two giant, Ivory Tusks during their lesson about Asian weapons. She even demonstrated on how to use them. The poor woman broke the lights on the ceiling. Toph thought she looked absolutely hilarious when she panicked. She got detention that day for boisterous laughter, while Li had to pay for the damage. That must be the only time she was lively in Elephant Tusk's class.

"The Asian Family? Pfffft! Boooring! I don't see why we're learning this." Toph said, eyeing on his seatmate's notebook entirely full of 'unnecessary scribbles'.

Aang hated to admit it but this is factor number two: his seatmate is Toph Beifong. Sure, they may be best friends for spirits know how long, but there are actually times that Aang wants to be away from her; especially during his 'favorite class'.

"Maybe it's because it's important for us Asians?" he stressed the last word in emphasis as he continued to draw randomly on his notebook.

"I'm not an Asian." She said casually, and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Then how come your mom looks like she's from Japan?"

"That's her problem. Spirits don't even know why."

Aang smiled. "You look kind of Asian too, you know." He chuckled a bit after this just to make fun of her.

"Dammit, Twinkletoes!" She gritted her teeth, irritated. "Shut up before I staple your mouth."

"What's so bad about being, I don't know . . . _Asian_?"

Toph sighed. "You wouldn't know. Wait, you know absolutely nothing. And I ain't gonna tell you a thing about what's the deal with it. It's my problem not yours, so stay out of it. Oh and no offense, by the way."

For the past few minutes of the entire period, Li droned non-stop about the day's topic. She did stop once in a while to scold Toph and her awkward sitting position. Still, the young girl wouldn't listen. She would put her legs down for a short moment but whenever Li turned her back, she would go back to that position of hers. Soon, the teacher gave up. Sometimes she even wondered if this girl was truly the well-behaved daughter of the Beifongs, the richest people in town.

_Well-behaved?_ She'd scoff, _oh the irony. . ._

"Miss Beifong," she said. "For the tenth time in this forty minute period, could you please, just please, sit up straight? I believe you were taught to sit like a _lady_ back home." Every student in class chuckled softly at what she was called.

Toph frowned and nearly stuck out her own tongue at Li. How she hated the old hag! Who the heck gave her the right to embarrass her like that? Crossing her arms over her chest; she slumped back at her seat and was surprised to find her seatmate snickering like a total dork.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" she turned to him. "You look like a dork."

Aang continued to snicker. "This may sound weird but . . . I think you being lady-like is pretty ironic."

Toph let her eyes role on that one. "Oh, you wouldn't know."

"Let me guess: Your parents are still forcing you to take etiquette lessons?" Aang knew that most noble families would force their children to act like they're part of the royal family.

"Nope," She said. "And thankfully they gave up on trying to teach me how to hold porcelain teacups properly." She huffed. "It totally sucks. You spend the whole day balancing books above your head while dancing to music made for sleeping and most definitely not for dancing."

"Classical music's not that bad." Aang shrugged.

"Yeah right," she retorted. "Try listening to it all day and try not to fall asleep. I challenge you. Believe me; even I've failed at that multiple times."

As if on cue to the end of Li's discussion, the school bell rang. Toph bolted to the nearest exit before everybody else could even leave their seats. Li said something she didn't quite catch. Toph ignored it and sped past groups of students who barely even came out of their classrooms until she stumbled across her locker.

Her eyes narrowed as she unlocked her compartment patiently and once she succeeded in opening it, she snatched her books and a good set of earphones.

"Whatcha doin?" someone whose annoying voice she'd recognize anywhere sang behind her.

"Nonnaya business," she sang in a mocking voice and slammed her locker shut. "What do you want?" she said, irritated.

"What, you're pissed already? 'Cause I didn't hear a single 'hi' or 'hello' or 'hey Sokka, old pal, how's it going?' The day barely even started, woman and you're already pissed?" The eighth grader joked but looked offended.

"Nope. But I'm extremely busy right now, Snoozles. So, bye!" She left as fast as she could before he can say anything else.

Sokka would've been a great friend. He was athletic, funny, and really easy to talk to. He's a handful; never runs out of jokes. If only he didn't act like an idiot, she would never be irritated. He and Toph get along really nicely, but usually, he just pisses her off. Still, it's great having this goofball around sometimes.

And when Toph means 'sometimes', she means 'on rare occasions'.

"Busy, huh?" he scratched his head. "Now that's new."

Toph heard but ignored him like always. She began to waver through the groups of students before he could catch up with her. One thing Toph knew about Sokka, is that once he spots one of his friends in the hall, he'd follow them around like a puppy dog and would never leave them alone until the next class. Plus, he could get really annoying. When she turned around, as she expected, he was following one of his fellow hockey teammates.

Toph made a sly smile as she continued to walk going to her next class.

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**That's all for now! Please review. They really make my day. **

**To be continued . . .**


	2. Chapter 2: Temple Run

**Hello! ** ** I know that chapter one was suddenly cut, but here's the continuation. This one's a bit longer, though. **

**REMEMBER: SET ON MODERN TIMES. TOPH ****CAN**** SEE.**

**Chapter 2: Temple Run**

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Her next class ended extremely fast. As if the whole forty minute period took only one second; probably because she fell asleep most of the time. The teachers don't know what to do with her. Most of them gave up on trying to discipline the girl. Says it's entirely impossible, nerve-racking and would only add to the stress. That's because most of them (even if they won't admit it) always fail and always loose against her. As a result, they just leave her alone in peace and sanctuary.

When the school bell rang to end the class, Toph jumped, grabbed her books and ran to her locker just like she always does. And as fast as the speed of light can do it, she snatched a brown envelope with her name printed in bold letters and sprinted down the hall hurriedly.

Why was she running? She had no idea why. Then there's absolutely no reason for her to be in a hurry. But then why wouldn't her legs slow down? _Dear legs, please slow down, _sounded absolutely stupid when the fact that they seem really uncontrollable right now. They just keep on dragging her to whatever new hallway they turn to, nearly bumping into several, innocent middle school students in the process.

_This feels like Temple Run_, she thought.

Only absolutely nothing was chasing her and she didn't need to jump over cliffs and roots.

She checked the time: 10:28 AM. She knew she wasn't late for anything. Or was she?

After shoving past more bewildered kids crowded in one hallway, she bolted through the next one leading to the fifth grade classrooms, then, took a sharp turn to the left towards a rather deserted hallway.

Surprisingly, she slowed down a bit and began to walk (or rather trudge) normally. When she saw the English teachers' faculty room, it was then she realized where her legs were supposedly taking her. She gulped. She knew exactly what she needed to do.

And it was entirely important. Thank God her legs were smart. At least they remembered.

She swallowed, and then knocked thrice heavily on the wooden door with a see-through window.

Even if the five teachers inside didn't say anything that would allow her to come in, she entered anyway. Mindful of her manners, she greeted them.

"Good Morning," she bowed respectfully with hands behind her back holding the brown envelope. _This is so unlike me,_ She thought.

Their eyes were wide in shock and disbelief at what she did.

"Good Morning, Miss Beifong," the first teacher to greet her was Ms. Yangchen, her own English teacher. She was a young looking woman holding a mug steaming with brewed coffee. "That was so unusual of you, by the way," She smiled and took a sip.

Toph was confused. She racked her head to find a smart comeback to what the teacher said. But all that came out of her mouth was, "Huh?"

The teacher laughed softly then shook her head at her. "So I trust that you're done with your essay? You're the only one that hasn't passed, you know. Thankfully, you made it here just in time or I would've considered your work late."

Yangchen may be the only teacher in the whole damn school that Toph actually liked; maybe because of the fact that she's always relaxed and nice to all the other students. Everyone loved her. So patient and peaceful, she was like a nun. Heaven only knows, she might even be one disguised as a teacher. And she'd get along with almost anyone she'd happen to meet. Toph was only lucky that she was her English teacher.

"Yep. It took me all night." Toph smiled casually and handed the brown envelope to her.

The teacher set down her mug printed with a Chinese word that Toph thought probably meant 'Air' or 'Wind' and took the brown envelope to examine her student's work.

Even before she started reading the essay, Yangchen didn't need glasses to see the errors. So she read it with ease. Her eyes scanned the paper that she held firmly on her hands. When she frowned at her student's essay, Toph could've sworn she felt her hands sweating and trembling in nervousness.

"So? How did I do?" she smiled nervously as if she didn't do anything wrong.

The teacher pondered for a short moment. Then turned to her trembling student, "Are you sure you're the one who wrote this?" she asked quizzically.

"Umm . . . yeah. But I sorta had help, you know."

"Then, Toph, can you explain how come your work has selectively blue underlined words on it with additional superscripts?"

_Okay, she got me,_ Toph thought_. It's over._ _I failed English._

"Umm . . . we ran out of black ink?" she was obviously lying. The teachers who spectator the whole scene aren't stupid enough to believe that she was. She looked over to her left and right for a better answer to the problem.

_Where the hell are those spirits when you need them?_ She asked no one in particular.

Realizing her loss, she sighed and admitted the truth. "Okay fine. I got so lazy so I copy-pasted my work from Wikipedia. Then I accidentally forgot about the blue words with underlines and superscripts so, yeah. As you can see, that's my finished product."

Yangchen's smile faded that now her lips were drawn to a thin line in disappointment. She crossed her arms and told her, "You do realize what you have done could fail you."

Toph nodded. "I know, but . . . I was so much in a hurry last night that I just ended up doing the shortcut of what I'm supposed to do. And plus, it was a really hard topic."

The teacher sighed and dropped Toph's 'work' in the trash. Toph felt quite offended. Yet, she didn't show any disappointment.

Yangchen cast her eyes down. Toph knew that she's planning to fail her. But unlike most subjects, she desperately wanted to pass this one. She didn't know the reason why. It was all too surprising. Maybe it's because she pitied the especially kind teacher. Or maybe because flunking English will really be humiliating.

_It's probably the second reason._ She thought.

The teacher, although was supposedly going to fail her student, wanted to help her and was actually planning on giving her another try.

She sighed. _If she fails this one, no more third chances._ Reluctantly, she approached Toph. "Okay, listen. I'm sorry to tell you this, but I cannot accept your work. You should've been the one who wrote it, and then I would've accepted it. But for now, I'm sorry to tell you, Toph, it ends up in the trash."

_Ouch._

Toph didn't really care if she threw the essay away. Heck, she won't even care if she'd burn it. That is, unless she worked her sorry ass just to finish it herself.

"So let me guess. I failed, didn't I?" she asked.

"Let me ask you this, Toph. Do you _want_ to fail my subject?"

" . . . No." she knew the answer to this. "Flunking English would be humiliating."

"So is failing Math, Biology and History, dear. That's all I hear from all those other teachers: Toph Beifong this and Toph Beifong that. I mean, Don't you ever get tired of it?"

Toph sighed. "I know. I don't get why I'm so lazy. I always find these subjects so . . . uninteresting. Unlike the subject you teach, I guess."

Yangchen thought for a moment. Maybe a second chance would definitely be good. She walked to her table and opened up a folder which contains easy topics to what she was planning for Toph to do for extra credit. She ran her index finger through the few easy categories until it finally rested on something that made her smile.

"Toph," she called to her. As the girl approached the table, Yangchen was holding something for her to see.

"Umm . . . what's this?" she took the paper in her hands and let her eyes scan through it.

"Listen. I know you don't want to fail my subject."

Toph scoffed. "Obviously."

"So, I'm giving you a second chance." The teacher smiled.

Toph gaped. Did she hear her right? She nearly slapped herself to check if she was dreaming. She didn't really do that; Although she did try to pinch her arm. That didn't work either. So this means she was awake.

_Heavens, she is a nun._ She thought. _More like a saint._

She nearly jumped for joy and squealed like a preppy cheerleader she used to know.

"A-are you serious?" she asked, astonished.

"Yes."

_Huzzah!_

Toph let herself recover from being hysterical until she could ask her next question. "Okay," she took a deep breath. _Yey! I'm not going to fail English! _"So, what do you want me to do?"

"I'm going to let you write another essay. Only this time it's longer and this time, you won't be able to copy-paste this anywhere."

_Umm . . . did she just say that I'm supposed to write another essay?_

Toph's rather excited face turned to a face full of horror. Another essay! _No, no, I take what I said about her being a saint earlier._ She can't possibly make her write another one. Or can she?

_Damn . . ._

"Brace yourself for the topic, my dear."

Awkwardly, Toph did what she was just told even though it was an idiomatic expression. She crossed her fingers, then her toes.

"It's about your best friend."

Toph's eyes widened to the size of a tarsier's.

_Wait . . . what?_

She couldn't possibly make her write a totally embarrassing topic made for kids. It felt so . . . kindergarten-ish. Only eight year olds are meant to write it. Heck, it's even for toddlers the size of munchkins. It's all too easy.

Ignoring her student's sudden change of expression, she continued to explain. "I want you to write at least fifty, did you hear what I said, Toph? At least _fifty_ things about him or her, printed on clean sheets of bond paper. Support your topics, okay? You have a month and fifteen days to finish that. The first day starts today. If you fail to pass this in time and if you fail to do the assignment, I'm sorry to tell you, I will fail you. You understand?"

Toph nodded slowly, still looking shocked. _Fifty things about my best friend, _She shrugged._ Seems easy enough._

_Way too easy, you mean. Eight year olds can do it._

But then her teacher's words echoed in her mind, _I will fail you. . ._ that's when she felt scared. Toph gulped. She was too distracted that she didn't even notice her teacher giving out the assignment written on a clean sheet of bond paper.

"Remember, Toph," she said. "You have a month and fifteen days. So please, don't waste your time."

Without saying any further explanations, Toph was ushered out of the faculty room's exit.

When she was finally outside, she let all that fear be washed out. What was she afraid of while she was in there anyway? She did have best friend, right? So there's absolutely nothing to worry about. Then it dawned to her the reason why she felt the need to panic.

Her best friend was _Twinkletoes._

_Damn . . ._

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**So I bet all of you guys heard about that addicting game called 'Temple Run' you play on your iTouch, iPad, iPhone or anything that starts with a small 'I' except iCarly? I actually based the first part of this chapter on the game, if you've noticed. **

**We all have those epic fail Wikipedia attempts, right?**

**To Be Continued . . .**


	3. Chapter 3: What Seems to be Edible

_Dear personal thoughts,_

**This chap's a bit longer than the rest. So I hope you guys can take time to read it.**

**Chapter 3: Meatballs**

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_Today's lunch is the same clichéd lunch like any other day. It's meaty, tasty, and absolutely juicy. Drum roll please, insert a fanfare here and there; put your sorry hands together for . . . _

_Tantarantaaaaan!_

_. . . Meatballs._

_. . ._

_Standing ovation._

Aang sighed. Since the first day of school, the school cafeteria hasn't served anything else but meat. He was sick of it. Sick. Of. _It._ Today's special was every day's special; It doesn't seem so special anymore. Heck, it doesn't even deserve the title for the so-called 'specialty dish'.

He stared at his food. Resting on top of his mashed potatoes were three giant balls of meat staring back at him. Aang could've sworn, it almost felt as if his food started talking to him.

_So . . . 'sup?_

_Nothing much, you?_

_Dude, we're bored. Aren't you gonna eat us? Or are you just gonna sit there so we can entertain you?_

_I have absolutely no intention of eating you three, so good luck on the entertainment part._

The seventh grader rested his cheek on top of his hand. If he was really going to have a conversation with three giant meat balls, then he was sure that he was going crazy.

Sokka and Katara, the two siblings, who had been sitting there with him pretty much acted like their usual selves during this time of the day. Katara's just sitting there looking pretty and reading a book, not even bothering to touch her food. She's a really smart eighth-grader and a good friend of Aang's. Sometimes she'd glance once in a while at her brother to make sure that he's not doing anything stupid like shoving the whole tray down his throat, and when she sees that nothing bad was happening, she'd go back to reading. Sokka on the other hand, feeling discontented with his lunch, would ask for their food, and then he would start ranting about Katara wasting her allowance on something she was sure she wouldn't eat when she wouldn't give him her lunch. He kept on telling her that she should just give him her allowance 'cause it's a total waste for her to not spend it for food.

"If I were you, you should just give me your allowance." He'd say. "Besides, Katara, I'm the one who's _always_ hungry."

"I'm not that stupid," She'd argue. "And besides, I'm _saving _for something more important. Just like what dad told me to do; unlike you who _never_ does." She emphasized 'never' for him to hear loud and clear. Sokka narrowed his eyebrows. His sister smirked because she knew that she was right.

"Then how come you're still buying food from the cafeteria that you're sure you wouldn't eat? Hmm?"

"I have my own reasons. And it's one-hundred percent none of your business."

"Ooh, so why keep it a secret?" He'd taunt her.

"It's no damn secret!"

"Okay, so let's hear them." Sokka would usually challenge.

If it were up to Aang to decide on what to describe the both of them when they're together, whatever word he'd come up with wouldn't make any sense. The same cliché thing happens every day: He'd start ranting, she'd debate on whatever there needed to be debated on, and poor Aang would just sit there, resting his cheek on top of his palm.

Aang sighed again and picked at his food. He just noticed that Toph wasn't there at her seat right next to him. He didn't even notice her absence ever since he got to the table. Where could she be? It's lunch time for Pete's sake! She never misses out on lunch. Especially if there's such a thing called 'good food' on the menu. No wonder why he felt bored. Normally, she's the one he always talks to at the table. He was never bored when she was around him. Even though at times she gets a little off the edge and he wanted her away. . .

Aang gasped. What in the world made him think that? He was shocked at his own thoughts. He couldn't believe he just admitted to himself that he wanted Toph to go away. _No, that's not true! _He argued with his own mind._ We're inseparable and we'll remain that way. She's my best friend and I would never think that._

Unfortunately, he just did.

He groaned in frustration and buried his head in his hands. _Why do I always have a war with my own thoughts? _He lifted his head up a few good seconds later, frowning at his own little problem.

Sokka noticed the frown on Aang's face and turned his attention to him. "Hey, buddy. You okay? Are the meatballs making you mad?" He joked in between chewing half open-mouthed which seemed to disgust his sister who was sitting next to him.

"Sokka, do you mind?" she asked him as patiently as she could. "Could you at least close that ginormous mouth of yours when you chew? The bits of food are getting on my book and it's absolutely disgusting."

She rolled her eyes at him and turned away.

Although he heard her, he obviously, being as stubborn as he is, didn't care. He blinked twice and found himself thinking of an evil plan (which, by the way, was going to get him in so much trouble). It was so mischievous that it caused him to rub his palms together and grin devilishly. Instead of just listening to his sister who, by the way, asked him as patiently as she could muster, he did the complete opposite. He wanted to have a little fun in this, so he opened his mouth for another meatball and started chewing twice as loud as before.

"I'm . . . sorry, Katara," When she turned to him, he began chewing even louder. "What was that?"

His poor sister was forced to watch in full horror at his mouth as he chewed in front of her delicate face. She felt herself going sick and nauseous. Tiny, wet chunks of meat and saliva fell on the page of her book that was on her lap and Katara had only less than two seconds to move her hand away from being hit by her own brother's disgusting spit.

Realizing that the book she held was covered with multiple tiny (but visible) splats of saliva and chunks of meat, she nearly went hysterical. "Sokka! My book!" she cried, worriedly. This book wasn't even hers. It belonged to a girl she knew from the school's volleyball team. She promised that she's return the book to her without a single damage. Not even a speck of dirt. And she had kept it that way ever since she borrowed the book which was last week. Now because of her stupid brother, the promise she had made failed. _I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so, so dead . . . _

_No, he's dead. He's gonna pay. . ._

Sokka stopped chewing for a second and raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Didn't dad tell you not to read when you're eating because he knows things like _this_ would happen?"

She gritted her teeth furiously. "Only because dad knew that you always have accidents when you eat and you were eleven when he told me that! And you never do this on purpose. NEVER."

"Well, as you know, I'm a messy eater." He shrugged harmlessly, making his sister want to claw him.

"Oh you are so dead!"

Sokka would normally be scared due to the acid he heard in his sister's voice, but strangely, the only thing that his mind was telling him to do right now (even when he's trying his best to hold it in), was to _laugh._

And so he did.

Katara was so frustrated that she nearly exploded. She tried counting to ten to calm herself down. But it obviously didn't work enough for her. Aang even had to grab hold of her before she starts clawing on Sokka's face. Her brother knew he was scared. Heck, he wanted to run to the nearest exit right now. He knows that Katara is scarier than the scariest monster he's ever heard of when she's something just doesn't seem right.

Why the hell can't he stop laughing?

He continued to laugh until he was clutching his stomach.

Sokka imagined his sister's eyes turning blood red and her mouth full of venom, about to breathe fire and disintegrate him whole right on the spot. As for Katara, that was the one thing she wanted to do right now.

"I'm gonna kill you, Sokka!" his sister screamed and lunged at him.

Sokka braced himself for impact. But Aang had yet to grab hold of her. He turned to look at whoever was watching and gulped at what he saw.

"Katara, wait!" Aang said gripping her wrist. "We're at the cafeteria! Everyone's watching; you're making a hell of a scene here."

Katara froze and turned her head to face the other half of the cafeteria. For a moment there, the murderous look on her face started to fade away as she saw that what he said was completely true: Every soul in the cafeteria had their faces turned right into their direction with their mouths wide open. Shock was written in each and every one of their faces. The place was unnaturally quiet that you could hear awkward cricket noises (Even though it was mid-noon). Katara gasped, totally embarrassed at what she did. She lowly sunk into her seat and buried her face in her arms.

_Oh God, this is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening! _She repeatedly said.

The kids who witnessed the scene she made, after a few more seconds of total silence and an awkward hiccup, dispersed and went back to whatever they were doing before Katara had started to yell. Soon, the cafeteria was noisy again.

"Umm, Kat?" Aang placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

_No. . ._

She started to sob.

_Stupid Sokka._

Once he heard his friend sob, Aang turned to Sokka and frowned. "Now look what you've done, Sokka. You made her cry. You took it too far." He gestured towards the sobbing Katara.

Sokka didn't know what to say. All he wanted was a little fun. But it seems as if he's gone way of the edge. No, he _really did_ go a little too far. So what he wanted to do next was get the nerve to apologize. Hopefully, she'd forgive him.

_Pssh, it would take a miracle for her to forgive me._

"I'm so sorry, sis," he said. "I guess I got a little carried away." He the back of his neck and reluctantly placed a hand on her arm even as she continued to cry softly.

"You . . . owe me . . . another book," She sneered menacingly which made her brother gulp.

Sokka turned to look at the now damaged book wet with his saliva, resting near her hand.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Sorry about that."

Katara lifted her head up so that she was now facing him. Her eyes were red and her face was still full of fresh tears. She didn't cry that much, but her eyes were puffy as if she has been crying for hours.

"What the hell _possessed_ you to that?" she said to him as calmly as she could, even though she felt that her voice was rising.

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, not knowing what to say.

She shook her head at him in disappointment. "You know, I was actually beginning to think I'm the older one here. You're so immature, it's a complete shame."

Aang just sat there silently. He knows he should say something, but he kept his mouth shut knowing Katara might get mad at him too if he'd interrupt. She's such in a bad mood right now and he wouldn't want things to go from bad to worst. So instead, he quietly and absentmindedly played with his meatballs.

Katara took the book and slid it towards her brother slowly. "You better replace this," she said. "I should've told you this before you started spilling your dog spit on it: this isn't mine."

". . . What?" Sokka's eyes widened upon hearing what she just said. "You said it was _your_ book!"

"Yes, I did. But I said that because it's with me for now."

"That doesn't make any sense at all. I mean, who the heck owns this?" He lifted the saliva-contaminated book to have a better look at it.

"I borrowed it from _Suki_."

Hearing who it belonged to, Sokka forgot how to breathe. His eyes widened to the size of saucers and he nearly dropped the book he was holding. "S-Suki? You mean that chick from t-the volleyball team?"

"Well, duh," Katara scoffed, already feeling better despite the fact that she just cried and was embarrassed in front of the whole cafeteria. "Who else would it be? The old lady who lives next door? "

". . ."

Her brother nearly fell out of his seat.

"Whoa!" Katara exclaimed. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Sokka tried to regain his balance and settled himself on his seat in a proper manner as to avoid falling over again. "Please tell me you're joking at what you just said," he begged.

"I'm not, I swear," she admitted. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

She watched as her brother slapped himself on the cheek, _hard_.

_I'm dead, I'm dead, I am so dead. . .She's never gonna talk to me again! She's gonna think that I'm a disgusting jerk not worthy to be dated by any girl. Oh God, what did I just do? How could I be so stupid?_

He banged his forehead on the table continuously, hating himself for being such an idiot.

_Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!_

Aang and Katara watched as Sokka continued to torture himself with a bewildered look on their faces. They didn't even bother to stop him. Katara silently found it entertaining to watch her brother torture himself even if the damage was mild. What matters is that she didn't need to lift a finger just to give him karma. She's still mad at him, but she learned to control that her fury.

"Yo, guys," someone called from behind Aang. "Hey, sorry I'm late." Toph took her usual seat next to Aang, setting her books and backpack on the empty seat beside her. Only when she finally sat down did she notice what was happening. She froze and raised a questioning eyebrow at the two of them. "What the heck happened to him?" she asked pointing a slim finger at the still head-banging ninth-grader.

"Hey, Toph," Aang smiled. "Ignore him. He's been acting really stupid lately." He chuckled a bit. "So, where've you been?"

"Running a few errands, that's why I was late," she brushed her bangs from her eyes, all too naturally.

"Hey, Tophy," Katara said giving her a smile.

"Don't call me that, Sugar Queen."

"I don't appreciate the nickname but you could've at least said a 'hi' in return," she said.

"Right . . . hi," Toph said nonchalantly.

"It's a little too late for that, now that you've started a conversation," Katara said. "So, what's up and what's for lunch? You owe me one, you know."

She remembered the other day when Katara actually bought her lunch for her just because she forgot to bring her wallet. She made a promise to the older girl that she's return the favor. And since Toph has been feeling good and fresh lately, Katara found it the perfect time to ask for some food.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. No need to remind me."

Toph's hand dug into her backpack. "Well, my mom insisted that I should bring my own packed lunch here when she discovered that I've been eating too many carbs lately," she told Katara who looked quite excited. "I blame the canteen and their oversized meat balls." She pulled out a green Tupperware that must have contained her lunch. She unlocked it slowly to reveal the most beautiful yet simple fresh salad complete with assorted vegetables that Aang has ever seen. Just the sight of it made his mouth water. "Today's menu," She continued. "I have to admit is something I don't usually eat. But since this one's still fresh, mouth watering and perfect, yeah . . . looks absolutely de-lish, right Twinkletoes? I see you drooling there."

She smirked at Aang who was still staring at her lunch in awe. "I hate you for being so rich," he said.

"Hate me all you want, cause I don't care," she shoved some salad in her mouth, leaving Aang looking disappointed. Toph reached into her backpack again and pulled out another Tupperware containing the same type of salad. She handed it over to a very eager and grateful Katara. "Consider yourself lucky, Sweetness," she told her. "The chef made a mistake and had me bring two of these."

"Hey, no fair!" Aang cried. "_I'm_ the vegetarian. And plus, I'm your best friend, remember?" He tried that oh-so cute and charming puppy dog eyes (plus the pouting) that never actually works.

"Well I, on the other hand owe Sweetness here," Toph gestured to Katara who was now devouring her salad, savouring the moment.

Katara groaned. _"Uhh . . . sooo goooood . . ." _She began to shove more of the green stuff to her mouth.

Aang started to frown. "Don't be so sad, Twinkles," Toph said all too innocently. "You still have three mashed up balls of meat waiting for you."

Aang stared at his tray and nearly puked at what he saw. He didn't notice until now that the three meatballs that he picked on and played with his fork as if they were modeling clay fused together with the mashed potatoes and turned to an unhealthy shape of what he believed was definitely _crap_.

_Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. . ._

The word echoed in his mind like a continuous dial tone.

The meat must have mixed with the mashed potatoes that used to be there. Now it turned to an unhealthy color of light brown – the color of crap.

Katara, who was still sitting there savoring her lunch would've felt disgusted when she laid her eyes on Aang's tray. She would've puked right on the spot. But instead, she found herself laughing at his little misfortune.

Toph laughed too, only that she was laughing a little louder than Katara. She clutched her stomach, thankfully not falling off her chair when she saw the funny look on Aang's face. Sokka eventually gave up on trying to crack his head by banging it against the table, so he sat up when the girls started to laugh at Aang.

Katara froze and saw that her brother's forehead was red from all that head-banging. For a moment there she felt concerned and wanted to help out; his forehead was a very, very unhealthy color of red – almost like a bruise. But the thought of herself feeling concerned about whatever bad thing happened to him only made her laugh some more.

After what he did to her a few moments ago, why bother?

Besides, that's one of the only ways she could put her revenge on him.

Indirectly. Not violent, and it won't kill him.

Once Katara started laughing and pointing at her brother's bruised forehead, Toph and Aang realized what was happening and laughed in as well, leaving Sokka feeling out of place.

"Damn," Sokka said. "You guys look like a drunk trio." He shook his head the three of them.

Lunch has always been like this. But somehow, this day felt strange and surprisingly different . . .

* * *

**We all have these random moments. XD**

**To Be Continued . . .**


	4. Chapter 4: Uber Bored

**Sorry for the late update!**

**Chapter 4: Uber Bored**

* * *

"So let me get this straight," he said on the other side of the line. "Yangchen gave you another chance, right?" She heard him scoff to himself smugly. "You know, I have to say, I'm actually quite surprised she did."

"Well, at least she did, Airhead," she told him. "I would've been toast if it weren't for her _merciful soul_." She said as she shifted the phone from her left ear to her right. Rolling her office chair from her study table across the room, with arms wide open and a triumphant smile on her face she cried, "God, praise her soul!"

Aang chuckled at her little outburst. His Friday evening had just started and here is talking to his best friend on the phone when he could've been watching movies with Sokka. The older boy was outside in the living room sprawling on the couch covered in buttered popcorn while watching another random movie he rented. In reality, Aang would've been disgusted. After all, it's _his _house and _his_ couch and _his_ popcorn. But since that's Sokka he's dealing with, what can he do about it? Hell, he'd just let him be the nutshell he already is.

Toph on the other hand, was bored to the point of dying. Being the only daughter of an extremely rich family, she has absolutely everything in the world that can prevent boredom. Xbox here, Wii console there, unfortunately for her, it only adds to the boredom and the rich, luxurious atmosphere that she absolutely despises. At first she'd play with them, but in the end, the stuff just gets old and boring. Then she'd just leave them there and wait for the dust to gather. And when that finally happens, she'd probably play with them again – which will most probably never happen since the servants clean the stuff regularly.

Toph would've had a very busy Friday busy exploring the city with her friends or having movie nights with Aang and Sokka. But tonight, despite it being a Friday, there really isn't much for her to do. She's being held hostage in her own room by her parents when she could've been there at Aang's watching a movie with him and their friends. Her boredom tempted her to do something. She could play with her Xbox again, but that would mean setting the whole thing up. And she was really lazy at the moment.

In the end, here's her conclusion: there's absolutely nothing entertaining to do but to lie down and sprawl on the bed.

And she realized that just over an hour ago when she saw her parents walk through the door.

So here she is at present: phone in hand, in an upside-down position on her bed watching cartoons.

_So . . . uber-bored._

She had recently transferred from the office chair to her queen-sized bed to sprawl.

Yes. _Sprawl._

As if there isn't anything else better to do.

The TV was useless for her at the moment. It's turned on but the audio was mute, so all she could hear was Twinkletoes at the other end of the line.

"You know, we could've talked about this in school a while ago," he said.

"Yeah, but if we did we wouldn't have a topic to talk about now."

"That's insane, Toph. We never run out of things to talk about," Aang said. "Besides, I'm supposed to be doing something else now."

"So, what exactly are you doing?" she asked him.

"Well, as you can _hear_, I'm talking to you," he said. "I'm actually supposed to be watching this movie Sokka rented for movie night, but here I am sacrificing that since you called."

Toph blushed slightly at that. "So what is Snoozles doing?"

"Naturally sprawling on my couch," Aang moved over to the nearby wall to check at him. "Currently, he's covered him popcorn."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"'Cause it's Sokka we're talking about. Who'd be shocked about that?"

Toph laughed a bit for once. She wished she was there for movie night with them. On normal Fridays she'd be there prompt and present. But her parents are home and she couldn't escape the house – or her own room for that matter; and they're actually keeping her on guard. Her parents never allow her anywhere outside the house without agents or body guards following her around. They actually said that they're doing that for her own pisses her off the most. What her parents consider 'freedom' is the total opposite of freedom.

On lucky days, she'd escape through the open window. And on even luckier days, she'd use the front door. And those days only come when her parents are out of town which seem to appear rarer and rarer each passing week.

They said that they're doing it for her protection. The school may be the only place in the world which her parents describe as 'safe' for her to walk freely without being followed by her so-called bodyguards. Her own house doesn't even count. All those years of being guarded and followed around made her sick and nauseous.

"Hey Twinkles?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm bored."

"You always are."

"Yeah but," she rolled over her stomach to face the television. "There really isn't anything to do other than to annoy you."

Aang frowned. "Then call up someone else. Not that I don't mind talking to you. I mean, I really don't. But Sokka's been yelling at me for the past few minutes every time a good part in the movie comes and I miss it."

Toph sighed. She should probably just let go and let him enjoy his Friday night. She already annoyed him, that's good enough for her. Mission accomplished. "Fine. Enjoy your Friday night. I'll do something else worthwhile." She said stubbornly.

"'Kay."

"Wait, before you go," she said. "At least suggest what I should do so I won't annoy you all throughout."

Aang pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin in the process. "You could . . . uh, start with your essay? That seems reasonable and productive."

Toph frowned. That? On a Friday?

"Got anything else other than that?" she asked.

"Uhhh . . . nope. Sorry. Good luck to you on doing that. Bye!" He hung up as quickly as he could before she could say anything else.

Toph groaned. Damn, if she was bored, she was bored. And she'd rather do that anyway than to do absolutely nothing at all.

So she groggily rose from her position and walked up to her desk, took a pen and a paper and started with a draft.


End file.
